<div dir="ltr"><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial;font-size:11pt;white-space:pre-wrap">Dear Colleagues,</span></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial;font-size:11pt;white-space:pre-wrap"><br></span></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial;font-size:11pt;white-space:pre-wrap">As you’re probably aware, internet shutdowns are dangerous acts of digital authoritarianism. In 2021, authorities deliberately shut down the internet at least 182 times across 34 countries — a dramatic increase compared to the year prior. </span><br></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">I’m excited to share Access Now’s new report launching today, </span><a href="https://accessnow.org/keepiton-2021-report" target="_blank" style="text-decoration-line:none"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-style:italic;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The return of digital authoritarianism: internet shutdowns in 2021</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">. In it, we break down where and how authorities used internet shutdowns to stifle populations during protests, political turmoil, coups, elections, wars and conflict, and school exams throughout the course of last year.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;padding:0pt 0pt 14pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Read the</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> </span><a href="https://www.accessnow.org/keepiton-2021-report" target="_blank" style="text-decoration-line:none"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">full report</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">, </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><a href="https://www.accessnow.org/internet-shutdowns-2021/" target="_blank">global snapshot</a></span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">, and </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><a href="https://www.accessnow.org/internet-shutdowns-africa-keepiton-2021" target="_blank">press release</a></span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">. You can also </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">reTweet</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> us <b><a href="https://twitter.com/accessnow/status/1519588491742515201?s=20&t=a5xHvJSoZjBdIlKJ7vP-fQ" target="_blank">here</a>.</b> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Please reach out with any questions, for background information, or to organise an interview with one of our Access Now experts. Thank you, and do share widely within your networks. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><br></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Best,</span></p><p style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Bridget.</span></p><font color="#888888"><br class="gmail-Apple-interchange-newline"></font><div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34)">Bridget Andere, MCIArb</span><div style="color:rgb(34,34,34)">Africa Policy Associate</div><div style="color:rgb(34,34,34)">Access Now | <a href="http://accessnow.org" target="_blank">accessnow.org</a></div><div style="color:rgb(34,34,34)">Fingerprint: 9CDE 8540 3173 FBF0 A3ED 8CB4 6868 AFBB AF9B DC01</div><div style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><br></div><div style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><span style="font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><font color="#000000" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;vertical-align:baseline">* </span></font></span><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><b>Join us</b> at</span><a href="http://rightscon.org/" style="color:rgb(17,85,204);font-family:arial,sans-serif" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> </span></a><a href="https://www.rightscon.org/" style="color:rgb(17,85,204);font-family:arial,sans-serif" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:10pt;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">RightsCon</span></a><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> (</span><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;font-size:10pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">June 6-10, 2022</span><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">) - </span><a href="https://www.rightscon.org/register-2022" style="color:rgb(17,85,204);font-family:arial,sans-serif" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:10pt;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Registration</span></a><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> now open! </span></div><div style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><span style="font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><b>*</b> <b>Subscribe</b> to the</span><a href="https://www.accessnow.org/express" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> </span><span style="font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Access Now Express</span></a><span style="font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">, our weekly newsletter on digital rights</span></div></div></div></div>